Welcome! Blood, guts, trauma, surgery, and life saving intervention keep us on the adrenaline roller coaster of the ER. Of course, it's not always positive. The ER can be an emotionally taxing and sometimes heartbreaking workplace, and this blog serves as an outlet for the stress of making life and death decisions each and every day.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Joy and sadness.

On a busy weekend in my ER, I worked efficiently through trauma patients, removed a plastic toy from a lab's intestines, repaired lacerations, and treated this and that throughout the day.

Our lobby was a hotbed of emotions. It remained packed with waiting pet owners all day; each sharing in the joys and sadness of those around them. One of the most memorable cases was a much loved 14 year old miniature poodle. The parents, a husband and wife, and their children, both younger than the dog, huddled around their pet as I listened to the history, performed a physical exam, and discussed options. Ultimately, the family decided that their beloved friend had been in failing health for too long, and euthanasia was the best answer for her. The kids had never lived without their dog; they had no memories without her yet in their life. This was clearly the first time they had experienced this type of grief, and it was truly heartbreaking. I watched as the dad comforted his family, and we all shed a few tears together. As they exited through the lobby, the entire crowd of waiting patrons was in tears.

Several hours later, after continuing with a busy shift, we were ready to discharge a patient who I had performed surgery on the day prior to remove a plastic toy he had eaten. The dog practically ran up to his clients, tail in full wag, and licked them hello. The clients had shared their story with those in the lobby who also shared the joy of a life saved and another pet going home to his loving family.

A roller coaster of emotions. Another day in the journey of an emergency veterinarian.

All stories contained within this blog are inspired by my life as an emergency veterinarian. Details including but not limited to name, time of visit, species, and age are changed to protect the innocent and crazy alike. Any relationship to persons or animals, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

This isn't web DVM....

These stories are shared to inspire and to entertain. They are not intended to be medical advice. If your pet is sick, the only rational thing to do is have him or her seen (in real life) by a veterinarian.

Who is that masked woman, anyway?

Ever since I was little, I always had the dream of becoming a veterinarian. The dream has been realized, and my passion is emergency medicine. ER work has many pitfalls and disadvantages, but for me, the ability to be there in a moment of crisis and help both a beloved pet and their loving family, is worth the bad days.

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Definitions and commonly seen conditions

Anemia: Low PCV (see below). Anemia can result from external hemorrhage, internal hemorrhage, destruction of blood cells in the body, or inability to make new blood cells in the bone marrow.

Azotemia: Elevation in the BUN (blood urea nitrogen) or creatinine. BUN and creatinine are body wastes typically eliminated by the kidneys; increased levels in the body indicate kidney dysfunction, obstruction of urine, or severe dehydration.

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF): Accumulation of fluid in the lungs due to failure of the heart. Some symptoms include shortness of breath, decreased appetite, rapid breathing rates, coughing, and weakness.

Feline Lower Urinary Tract disease (also called feline idiopathic cystitis): A condition resulting in frequent, painful urination, and in the most severe cases, obstruction of the urethra. FLUTD has several potential causes and is also an extreme emergency.

GDV: Gastric dilatation and volvulus. Occurs in large breed dogs; the stomach fills with gas and twists. An extreme emergency, this condition is treated with stabilization and immediate surgery.

PCV: Packed cell volume. The percentage of red blood cells contained within a given sample of whole blood. Normal for dogs and cats is typically 35%-45%.